So, who got a pressie today?

You did?  Lucky you! A thoughtful partner-hubby who had time to go shopping... give him a super big hug later.

If, like me, you don't really "do" Valentine's day ( preferring a 365 day affair)  and your hubby works so hard he doesn't get time to search out a special treat for you, here's a little message...

Mixed media on canvas-  The Rough and the Smooth of it...

 In the wider universe we are all unique and we are all loved! 

  You too!

And if you haven't got a hubby, then Woohoo! Go girl and have a spa day, lunch in bed,  mani-ped, whitewater-rafting... or anything that you want to treat yourself with... well, why not?

Just as a little sub-note... isn't it typical, a woman came into the studio asking to buy this canvas before Valentine's day, and even though it was reduced because I created it several years ago and wanted to clear out a few old paintings, I went to the studio today to find it had been stolen! I knew it was gone several days ago, but assumed the chap who looks comes in mostly had seen her a second time and taken the payment for it. No! Doesn't it make you seeth!  It was 1/3 of the original price, and still someone had to sneak around to steal it while no-one was looking, appalling. I hope her hubby enjoys it!

Yule wishes to you all....

As 2012 draws to an end, I am busy remembering all the people that I've met anew, swapped with, laughed with, sighed with and hoped for... it's been a rollercoaster year but with so many new friends and such a wealth of love and inspiration, how can I not be happy and warmed by it all?

So, suitably inspired by the most beautiful glass gift that shipped safely all the way from the States, here is my year finale xmas card... and heartfelt wishes for you all...

Here's hoping we continue to travel together into 2013 and beyond... have a great Holiday!!

15 A /15 J/ 15 M Round Robin Journal

Well, it's been so long since I worked in an actual journal, but in the meantime I've done a page for Rhelda as she didn't make her journal and we're creating loose pages instead...

Art and Soul- one of my website titles, and so me... art from the heart... such a cliche, lol!! Oh well, can't be helped- I am what I am!

I used a similar technique to those I've been playing with recently, but I didn't use gesso, so no heating and bubbling, I didn't think paper would be strong enough to cope.

I used several of my lino cuts to emboss cards and built them up with layers of colour. I also used acrylics, texture gel, sequins,tape, cut-outs, several types of pen/ marker and both oil and soft pastels. I really need to improve my text though, I still seem to mess a page up with bad writing...alot of it is because i struggle to find a pen that will write nicely over pastels... anyone got any suggestions?

Hope Rhelda likes it... I've also added it to the ongoing diary section which has all my pages in other journals, and others work in my journal... it's coming on now... nearly halfway though!

Acceptance..of most things really, but mainly my art

Continuing in my Book Of Days with Effy at  wildprecious.com   I caught up with another spread today. One of the prompts was "Accepting", and I decided to work along the lines of accepting my art for what it is, and isn't, and learning to fly with my wings, not others... here's how it turned out

I haven't done any gel transfers in a while so thought I would use them for the text. There's alot of texture gel in here, both in the transfers and as deep texture as several birds, bird cages and shapes... The birds were a treat from my  arty friend in Bristol- she knows who she is!! I'm not sure it's exactly how I wanted it.. but as it's all about accepting- I guess I'll have to!

BELIEVE...oh I do! I do!!

I'm on a roll, it feels good! I just finished another spread (having done the background yesterday). One of our prompts for the Book of Days  was choose a word to signify your year, or at least the current situation. I struggle with typical artist/Cancerian insecurities, and whenever I get brave and feel better I'm usually self-destructive. Sad I know, I do try to be positive but you know how it goes... up and down, round and round...

So... as a mantra, affirmation, reminder, whatever... I choose BELIEVE as my word for the year. If repeating it over and over, and arting it in my books doesn't do it, well, then there's no hope for me- shoot me now! But I'll be having fun in the meantime...

mixed media, acrylic paints, pastels, picutres, embossed papers, gel medium, gesso, stamps/ stencils, sharpies and technical pens

17-17-17

I've just finished my entry into Trine's journal in our 17-17-17 Round Robin. ("host" deleted site)

Details are over in my 17 A-17 J-17 M page. This is the second journal I've added to in this RR. It's always so difficult getting started, but the journals so far have been beautifully made and designed so having them a little while helps to get the imagination flowing...

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Sketchbook fun

I'm still working on my textiled sketchbooks, my current creations are A5, I'm finding that's both a nice size to work, and a reasonable size for sketching.
As well as creating these for sale, several of them will be going to unsuspecting friends for christmas, I can't wait to see their faces when they open them!

This is one of my favourites, spirals and blues. 72 pages of artist quality cartridge paper, yummy, I shall have to make one for myself  after the xmas rush. Here are a few of the others...A5's and A6's

Mandalas...part deux

I know I should really be working on so many other projects, but I need to get this out of my system first. I'm really enjoying them, but I love the effect a bit of doodling has....

Perhaps I should call it a day for a little while...I must finish the goodies box and do another 1000 words on my essay....Oh well! These 3 have been put through my filter again...what a difference!! In fact the bottom one is from the previous posting...you'd not know....

Mandala fun...

I've not created mandalas before, and with all the other work/playing that I do, I might never have got round to it if I hadn't seen a free tutorial on willowing . Guadalupe has posted video tutorials to work through the stages...great fun!

As these are my first, and it's coming up for xmas card posting, I thought I'd follow the theme....

I might add a bit of doodling later...but for the time being I shall leave them like this on the paper....although I have put them through my fave filter already

Have a go...it's great fun and quite meditative, like doodling!

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Prayer FL-inchies...

Having come up with the funky idea of  mixing inchies with prayer flags, I hosted a swap for prayer fl-inchies on Milliande's .
Well, I was so happy today, mine arrived from Letizia in Italy...

How gorgeous is this??  painted papers, stitched and beaded inchies, organza ribbons and lovely penned letters...
See more work from other friends in the Gallery  of friend's work.


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At last- a website!!

Well, I'm not particularly software minded, and I'm not very skilled at learning programming, but at least I can say I'm tenacious and dedicated!

So at last, a website with selections of my work in a variety of mediums- painting, photography, textiles, a bit of  digital manipulation- all the things I love doing...

I know it's not fancy and professional like all the great sites out there, but it's mine. There's time to add elements like a cart and buy it now, but that will come as I learn how to do that....

In the meantime, enjoy a bigger display of my work than I'm able to show on my favourite community art site  , here is my site                                  

  Kalona Creativity

A selection of my acrylic work

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Halloween Postcards

Well, while I was looking for some  marbled paper to make more butterflies, I found some previously stashed marbled mount card instead. Perfect for making into seasonal Mail Art RAAK's . I like to work in series so here's the latest...

Pumpkin Postcard

Cute ghost

Bat

Skull Postcard

The cards were marbled using warm water and thinned oil paints. Drying is quicker if they are really dilute, and they smell for less time- if you're not keen on the oil-paint smell. The doodles were overlaid with Sharpies and 0.3/0.4/0.7 graphic pens. The edges were "aged" with pigment stamping ink in burgundy and black. Now I need to decide who to send them to....


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Butterflies...

One of my swap buddies creates some beautiful origami cranes to send around the world, so I was inspired to try something to send as  "thankyou's"... 

There are several objects that I love, but I couldn't make a pegasus practical to make/send flat...so I tried bird of paradise, orchids, lilies and a cat....all very nice but not suitable for posting. Hearts are appropriate too, but oh so...common?

Eventually I came across a blog with a nice butterfly.  I don't have origami paper so I played with tissue paper until I remembered some marbled paper I'd made at uni....et voila!

So here are my "Thankyou" butterflies....

Now I need to make a good few more so they can fly off round the world.....


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Catching up on ATCs...

Catching up on ATCs, these were made for the ATC Trees swap on Milliande . Two went off to a friend in Australia and arrived safely, thankfully.
They are mini versions of a large mixed media canvas work I did earlier this year called "Metamorphosis"

As I get older I'm really loving the idea of getting closer to nature and refinding all our natural/ spiritual selves. Alot of my artwork is beginning to reflect this now...


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Another Prayer Fl-inchie

As is normal for me, once I start an idea I have to make several, or more, until I'm exhausted of ideas...
Having come up with fl-inchies there's a new inexhaustable area to play in...so here is a second creation....

These inchies are created in the same way as the tutorial for fl-inchies shows. The lettering is wool. Other squares were embellished with ribbon and glass beads.


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Windows ATC's

Patty kindly hosted an ATC swap themed round windows, and as the idea was to try and make a window rather than just draw one I decided to try my embossing on perspex to fulfill the brief....

Windows ATC's

Sadly the photo  shows them while they were still foggy from the heat, but the layers are still discernable. Sequins, organza, skeleton leaves, sharpie and embossing powder were used in layers to build up the scene.

At the same time I used up some bits and bobs that I'd just used in another project and created these windows too;

Funky window ATCs

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Halloween inchies and ATC's

Yes, I know it's a little early for Halloween, but if these little beauties are to get where they're going in time, we had to make them early. These are my latest inchie creations for the Needle Queens Halloween inchie swap at Milliande's 

They were great fun to make, I used up the baby wipes that I coloured while making some Halloween ATC's for another swap ( see below) and doubled them up with a heavy roofing fibre. The witches etc. were confetti just begging to be used!  The bigbird at the back was supposed to be a spider, but didn't really work out- he's more a moustacio'd gringo!

Tweedlesboth; white rabbit; Mad hatter; Malice and Cheshire cat.

These 5 cards were the hardest I've had to come up with so far...Alice in Wonderland meets Halloween! Another fun ATC swap at Milliande's. I'm not particularly happy with them, but they fit the requirements so I'll be thankful for that. Several members have diecut machines and  I am tempted to buy one- all those shapes in one simple movement... yet another dimension to my artwork...and all those textures....hhhmmm. They certainly seem to make creating ATC's a whole more dimensional.


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Zentangles and Doodling...

Wow- I've been doodling for years, but never once realized there was a whole cult thing going on with them...zentangles, with courses and instructors...

Here's one of my favourite sets, I usually work in sets of three. I don't always use colour after, but these just begged to be played with....

Doodling is great when I'm struggling for inspiration, or putting off a bigger project. I must admit though, even my doodles have to have a certain amount of  organisation and tidyness, guess I'm a chronic control freak after all...


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ATC's - a new exploration, for me, at least!

Having joined the Art swaps group at Milliande's I found a whole new world of small artworks, highly intriguing having spent the last few years growing in confidence enough to make my paintings BIG!
This really appealed to my "have an idea, must do it now" streak, by being small enough to complete in a reasonable time-frame.
And so another addiction began....
Here is my first group of ATC's, specifically for a "layered" card swap

These are on canvas, stamped with pigment inks, gel transfers, embossed copper, and beads. They were great fun to make, and several of them went round the world to Australia for the swap.


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My first hosting of an "art swap"

I've taken part in a couple of swaps at Milliande's Art Community for women, and they've been great fun, so I decided to brave hosting one myself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
Inchie/Twinchie Box Swap is running through September, and some lovely boxes have been created already!

Here's a couple of mine

A card twinchie that can be posted flat and reassembled and one of my felt inchies which also opens flat.
There's a step by step for the felt inchie in the tutorial section.

A pair of embossed/stamped MDF tile inchies


I have made several more, in different materials- it has been great fun, and I shall post more pics later, including those from the other ladies.







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